He trudged up the stairs despondent. He wasn’t sure how much longer it would take Nathaniel to figure things out. He wasn’t sure what he would do if the man never did. He just wanted a warm shower and a cold beer, but since the beer was out of the question, the shower would have to do.
He walked into his room to find Nathaniel sitting on his bed.
“You look ghastly,” Nathaniel remarked, his forehead furrowing as he studied Tristan’s pale, tense features. He must have noticed the slightly blotchy skin around Tristan’s eyes.
Tristan knew how he looked. He’d not slept more than three hours or so each night over the past week, so yeah, he wasn’t gonna be winning GQ’s Man of The Year anytime soon.
But he didn’t need Nathaniel pointing it out to him, so he snapped out at him. “Thanks. It’s always nice to have a man compliment you,” he answered bitingly, stuffing his hands into his back pockets.
“Why are you in my room?” Tristan growled at Nathaniel. If the man was going to tell him to leave, then he should just get it over with.
The man simply replied, “Can we talk, please?”
“So talk,” he bit out harshly.
“Not here. Can we talk in our room?” Tristan was too upset to catch Nathaniel saying ”our room.” He simply replied, “I’m tired and I need a shower, so say what you have to say and leave, please.”
He walked into the bathroom, taking off his shirt and unbuckling his belt, not caring that Nathaniel was in the room. As he walked into his bathroom, he noticed all his shower things were gone.
He walked out and found that Nathaniel was gone from his room. He was fucking pissed now. Had the man really packed up his things? Did he want him gone that much? Fuck! All he had to do was ask. Not pack up Tristan’s things without him present.
He had worked up a full head of steam as he traced Nathaniel whereabouts to his room. Tristan walked in, prepared to let the man have it, but what he walked in on was something else. Wow! The entire room had been covered in thousands upon thousands of rose petals, candles, and lanterns. He was shocked. He didn’t even know what to say. He looked around, taking everything in until his eyes landed on Nathaniel down on one knee.
47
Nathaniel
When Nathaniel had asked for Teo’s help, he didn’t think the room would look like a flower bomb went off. At least he’d gone for white roses and the lanterns, and candles simply added to the ambiance.
They had both spent the day moving all of Tristan’s stuff from the guest room into Nathaniel’s. Now Tristan’s clothes hung next to his in the walk-in, and Nathaniel didn’t know why that, even more than the roses and stuff, made him feel all mushy inside.
He loved the dumbstruck look on Tristan’s face. He loved it even more when it morphed into a huge smile. Nathaniel had been practicing what he would say, since Teo and Ms. Bea had taken the girls and Wyatt over to Teo’s to spend the night, while he got this man.
He hoped by the time they came home tomorrow even Wyatt would be calling Tristan Daddy or Papa, or whatever they settled on, so they didn’t get confused when the kids referred to them.
He’d thought about taking Tristan out but decided against it. He wanted to do it at home, where they would hopefully build their family. This is what had felt right to him, so he’d gone for it, with some Teo-spice thrown in.
Tristan’s reaction sent the most fantastic sensations through him. It let him know he had done it right. He looked up so he could see his face and look into his eyes.
“I’m so sorry it took me this long to tell you this, but thank you for letting me figure it out. I now know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.”
Tristan replied in a whisper, “What do you want, Nathaniel?”
“You know what I want, Tristan. You knew before I did. You! You're what I want.” he said, grinning.
His man’s, fuck he loved calling Tristan ”his man,” his man’s face grew more animated, his smile expanding.
“You’re everything I want,” Nathaniel added.
Tristan kneeled right in front of him at that. He leaned in and kissed him, tenderly, as though he was the most precious thing ever. And it was true. He was. He had the power to break Tristan’s heart if he wanted to. He just hadn’t seen it before, but he saw it now. But it was because he knew he wouldn’t, the same way he knew Tristan would never break his, that gave him the confidence to make this leap.
So he did what he should have done the first time. He got down on one knee. Before he could even ask the question, with tears glistening in his eyes Tristan said, “Oh my God! Yes, Yes, Yes!” before Nathaniel even had a chance to pop the question.
He laughed and said, “Hold on to that yes for a second. I have to do this right. You deserve to have this done right.”
Nathaniel spoke from the heart and told Tristan, “I never thought I’d get the wedding or the husband. That’s why I did it backward and have the kids.”
Before he could continue, Tristan interrupted him, saying, “Well, I for one I’m glad you decided to have kids, or we wouldn’t be here right now, having this, this moment.”
Nathaniel laughed. With his newfound confidence, he teased, “Well, I could have walked into your bakery one day, you never know.”
“What makes you think you would have met me. I am constantly in demand, you know,” Tristan bantered back.
“Well, I am kinda, sorta a big deal, didn’t you hear, and stop interrupting me. I need to say this,” Nathaniel said, kissing Tristan briefly before carrying on.
He looked into the eyes of the man that had come to mean everything to him and bared his soul, “You see parts of me that no one gets. The part I’ve kept to myself for so long. Because of you, I found parts of myself I thought lost for good. You made me realize I didn’t have to change a thing because I was good enough. You let me be vulnerable, even though it’s scary, and I hate it most times, but I know I’m safe with you. You see me, and because of you, I know all the things I thought were broken and unlovable are part of the reason you fell in love with me. You make me whole. You and the kids are everything I was too scared to hope for. Everything I always dreamed of but never could imagine I could have. You’re my lover, my cheerleader, and my everything. Will you marry me, Tristan?”
Tristan practically tackled him to the ground, kissing him while saying, “Yes!”
An hour or so later, Nathaniel realized he couldn’t wait for married life if this was what proposal sex was like. He knew they would have their issues. And they would definitely disagree on a lot, but finally, he was home. He’d found his home. He had a family for keeps.
Epilogue
Tristan
Tristan was so grateful, sometimes, he felt like he didn’t deserve the life he was living, and every day he wished he could tell Shannon thank you. Thank you for this life he had now. Without her, he wouldn’t have Emma or Sammy or Wyatt, and he most certainly would have never met Nathaniel.
His beautiful Nathaniel. Never in his life could he have imagined someone so... everything. He was everything to him. Everything he never knew he needed, and everything he couldn’t live without.
He loved coming home and hearing Nathaniel say, “Girls! Dad’s home!”
He loved the sound of feet thundering from wherever they may be in the house. And he especially loved finding himself enveloped in giggling little girls. It never got old. He rejoiced just hearing his two girls calling him “Dad” or “Daddy!” Both his girls always had a big smile for him the minute he walked through the door. The girls still used them interchangeably for him and Nathaniel, but he was sure as they got older, they would pick one for each of them and stick to it. Not that it mattered.
Emma was getting better. Her appointments with her hepatologist were more infrequent. Of course, she would have to keep going, but it wasn’t weekly anymore. He loved that she saw him as a permanent part of her life, and so did Samantha with Nathaniel. He also loved that he could look at Emma without the overwhelming
grief he felt before. Of course, she still looked so much like Shannon, and it sometimes still stole his breath and made his heart constrict. But he felt more happiness than anything else.
In a strange twist of fate, Tristan now felt as if he was linked to his sister more closely than even when she was alive. It almost felt like he could feel her, or maybe he was just being a sentimental fool.
He loved how close he and Emma had gotten over the past few months. Between time in the hospital, car rides to the doctors, and just napping together while recovering.
He always wondered if Shannon was looking out for them down here, and he hoped she was okay with the job he was doing raising her daughter. And he knew she’d loved Nathaniel because he was the best thing that had ever happened to Tristan. They hadn’t set a wedding date yet, but they knew they would. Very soon. Once Emma could be around a load of people without Nathaniel turning into the Purell police and making all the guests wear hazmat suits.
Nathaniel had come out of his shell so much. He was more confident. Sure, he would never be the life of the party, but Tristan was okay with that. He loved coming home to his guy. He especially loved that Nathaniel was getting better at saying “I love you” and letting his emotions out. Sure, there were days when he texted Tristan a little more than normal if he was running late, but some things didn’t go away overnight or may never go away.
Their poor kids. The man was bound to track their locations and show up unannounced. Their parenting styles, although different, balanced each other out. Where Nathaniel was OCD about almost everything, Tristan kind of went with the flow. He also knew he could be that way more now because of how vigilant Nathaniel was.
The more he got to know Nathaniel, the more he fell in love with him. He loved how comfortable he was getting hanging out with the guys. He loved how the man was with the kids. He loved that the man donated so much to charities, and not the big ones but rather the smaller ones that needed the help, and really worked hard to help as many people as they could. He especially donated to ones that took in kids from the foster care systems and now LGBTQIA charities that took in kids that had been kicked out of their homes. He told Tristan it was because he couldn’t imagine what would have happened to him without Teo’s family.
He loved seeing the man laughing and relaxed. He just adored the man. He realized that his guard had always been up, but somehow over the past months, the man had lowered his well-guarded defenses and let him in. He couldn't wait to experience forever with him. Finally, they were a family… a family he got to have for keeps.
The End.
THANKS FOR READING!
Hey Y’all,
Thanks so much for reading A Family for Keeps, the first book in the Stories of Us series. If you enjoyed this book, please take a few minutes to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Interested in seeing more stay tuned for more Stories of Us. For Teo, Cris and Lain's stories.
For news and updates on upcoming releases, ARC opportunities, bonus content, and special giveaways/promos, join my Facebook readers’ group Richmond’s Rider or subscribe to my newsletter Click Here to receive Richmond’s Riders Newsletter
Stay in touch!!!!
About the Author
Since she was a little girl, Rheland Richmond entertained herself with any book she could get her hands on. She has written as long as she can remember, and now she finally gets to share some of those stories with other people.
She loves a good happily ever after. Because she believes love and light should touch everything. She is an obsessive reader and would never have considered writing if it wasn’t for all the authors that inspired her and the thousands of books she has devoured along the way.
When she’s not reading she’s caught up in all her guilty pleasure TV Shows. Or catching up with her sibs wherever they are in the world, which usually involves long distance calling. She’s an introvert that will take a night in before anything else.
Made in Nigeria and Raised in the UK she’s an interesting mix of both cultures and appreciates both equally.
Acknowledgments
First, I need to thank the parents and siblings for their constant support and encouragement. I love you guys more than words can ever express. A girl couldn’t ask for better.
Temilola for pushing me to write this book because you believed I could. Rach for always being there and being you and cheering me on. You guys are my family. No blood required.
Susi for being a friend, a sounding board and an honest voice. I appreciate you so much. You’re friggin’ awe inspiring. For talking me down more times than I can count, for the technical feedback and everything in between. Thank you just isn’t enough.
Frances for reading these guys when I only had five chapter and asking for more and staying on me to finish it. You’re incredible.
Theresa for being my fairy grammar mother lol… for the time, patience and (sexy), I mean inspiration pictures of half-naked men. You’re awesome!
To my editor Sarah Miller, thank you for listening to me and letting me bounce ideas of you and polishing my guys. Your work and feedback while editing have been invaluable. Thank you for dealing with an OCD author.
Jay Aheer for creating something amazing out of the little I gave you to go on. I love the cover so much.
Thank you Theresa (again). Tanja for your attention to detail while proofreading. Thanks for making me look like I know how to use a comma. Y’all made my book shine.
Last but definitely not least I am so grateful for my beta readers and the honest feedback they gave me. Thank you for taking a chance on a newbie. Sarah, Andrada, Kara, Crystal. You guys are awesome.
To all the awesome friends I’ve made, I didn’t expect you guys but I’m so happy to have met all of you.
A Family For Keeps Page 23